2014 Commonwealth Games
The 2014 Commonwealth Games (officially the XX Commonwealth Games) were held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3 August 2014. It was the largest multi-sport event ever held in Scotland with around 4,950 athletes from 71 different nations and territories competing in 17 different sports, although the country previously hosted the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Over the last 10 years, however, Glasgow and Scotland had staged World, Commonwealth, European, or British events in all 17 sports proposed for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, including the World Badminton Championships in 1997.Candidate City File: Glasgow's credentials (page 121) Selection process Scotland was the first country to consider hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games in 2004, with Scottish cities being invited by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland to consider making a bid. In September 2004, Glasgow was announced as the Scottish candidate city over Edinburgh (which hosted the Games in 1970 and 1986, and the inaugural Commonwealth Youth Games in 2000) following a cost-benefit analysis by the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland. The Scottish Executive under then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell, with the support of the United Kingdom government and all main parties in the Scottish Parliament, formally announced Glasgow's intention to host the games on 16 August 2005.Blair enjoys Games as tour begins In March 2006, the bidding process began, with the Glasgow Bid team presenting their case to the Commonwealth Games Federation at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, along with the other confirmed candidate cities; the Nigerian capital, Abuja and Halifax in Canada.BBC News – Glasgow launches Commonwealth bid In October 2006, the first voting delegates arrived in Glasgow, to inspect the city's existing and proposed amenities and facilities. Glasgow announced on 16 January 2007, the 17 sports to be included should its bid be successful.BBC Sport – Glasgow reveals 2014 bid sports Halifax later withdrew its bid on 8 March 2007, following the withdrawal of funding from the municipal government.BBC News – Commonwealth bid city pulls out city centre.]] That left Abuja and Glasgow as the remaining bidders, with Abuja seen as a likely favourite due to the basis of its campaign that an African nation has never before hosted the Commonwealth Games.BBC News – Nigerians keen to host games The deadline for formal submission of bids to the Commonwealth Games Federation, in the form of a Candidate City File, was set for May 2007.Glasgow 2014 – The Story so far Both bids were highly recommended, though Glasgow's bid team had made use of extensive benchmarking against the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and as a result, its bid was deemed technically superior according to the CGF Evaluation Report that was released in September 2007. The Commonwealth Games Evaluation Commission concluded that: "Glasgow has shown it has the ability to stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games to a standard which would continue to enhance the image and prestige of the Games." This put Glasgow ahead in terms of the technical comprehensiveness of its bid.BBC News – City ahead in Commonwealth race The final decision on the host city of the 2014 Commonwealth Games was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 9 November 2007 at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly, attended by all 71 Commonwealth Games member associations. Each bid city made a presentation to the General Assembly, the order of which was determined by drawing lots. Glasgow's delegation was led by Louise Martin, chair of the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, First Minister Alex Salmond, athlete Jamie Quarry and Leader of Glasgow City Council Steven Purcell. The presentation also included a promotional film narrated by Sean Connery.Glasgow 2014 Presentation Transcript Abuja's delegation was led by General Yakubu Gowon, head of the Abuja 2014 Commonwealth Games bid team. The CGF members subsequently voted for their preferred candidate in a secret ballot. As there were only two bids, the winner was announced by the CGF President, Mike Fennel, after the first round of voting, with the winner only requiring a simple majority. The results of the bidding process were Participating nations There are 71 participating nations at the 2014 Commonwealth Games with approximately 4,950 competing athletes making it one of the largest commonwealth games staged to date. On 7 October 2013, The Gambia, having withdrawn from the Commonwealth five days earlier, confirmed that it would not be taking part in the games. Calendar The following table shows a summary of the competition schedule. :All times are in BST (UTC+1) Sports There are a total of 18 sports and 261 medal events that will be contested at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. A record 22 para-sport events will be contested in five different sports (athletics, cycling, lawn bowls, swimming and weightlifting) para track cycling will be held for the very first time. Archery and tennis from the 2010 games were replaced on the sports program with triathlon (for the first time since 2006) and judo (first time since 2002). Among sport disciplines removed from 2010 include the walking events in athletics, synchronised swimming and Greco-Roman wrestling, while mountain biking will be contested for the first time since 2006. Shooting medal events also dropped from 44 in 2010 to 19. Among new disciplines on the Commonwealth Games program for the first time are the triathlon mixed relay event, more shooting medal chances for women and the addition of women's boxing to the program. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport. * Aquatics ** ** * * * * Cycling ( ) ** Mountain biking (2) ** Road (4) ** Track (17) * Gymnastics ( ) ** Artistic gymnastics (14) ** Rhythmic gymnastics (6) * * * * * * * * * * * Wrestling ( ) ** Freestyle (14) Medal table Only the top ten nations by medal rank are shown in this medal table. Nations are ranked first by count of gold medals, then silver medals, then bronze medals. Games identity Bid and interim logo The interim logo for the Games was first used during Glasgow's bid, with the "Candidate City" section removed following 9 November 2007, when the bid was approved. The logo depicts two Sprinters woven into a tartan motif, representing Scotland. The logo also vaguely resembles the Clyde Auditorium, one of Glasgow's most recognisable landmarks. The pattern, forming the Roman numerals XX, also represents 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games. The text is more specifically Glaswegian, with its stylised Mackintosh font. A flag featuring the logo was used extensively during the bid process. The flag was flown above Merchant House in George Square daily.britishflags.net, Glasgow Commonwealth Games Logo Games logo The official logo for the 2014 Commonwealth Games was unveiled on Commonwealth Day, 8 March 2010.Glasgow launches new logo for 2014 Commonwealth Games Designed by Marque Creative, it was inspired by three factors, time, data and measurement. Its rings are proportioned to represent the 20th Commonwealth Games, across 17 sports, over 11 days in 1 city. An animated version of the logo has also been produced.Glasgow 2014 Logo Animation There is also a version of the logo in Scottish Gaelic. Arthur Cormack, the Chair of Bòrd na Gàidhlig, made the following official statement: :"Bòrd na Gàidhlig welcomes the Gaelic version of the logo for the Glaschu 2014 Commonwealth Games and we have been happy to work with the Glaschu 2014 team in helping them develop their identity. Given the unique importance of Gaelic to Scotland and the many Scots in the diaspora throughout the Commonwealth, we believe it should be seen, heard and spoken as widely as possible." :"''Given the worldwide interest there will be in the Games when they take place in Glasgow, a city with a large number of Gaelic speakers, we believe they offer an exciting opportunity for Gaelic to be seen and, we hope, heard and appreciated in an international setting. We hope this is just the start; we wish the Games well and look forward to working further with Glaschu 2014 to enhance the status of Gaelic within this hugely significant event."Unveils identity | Glasgow 2014 – Commonwealth Games. Glasgow 2014 (8 March 2010). Retrieved on 17 July 2013." The full Games identity was developed by Glasgow design studio Tangent Graphic, the lead creative agency. Tangent's first major project was the official sport Pictograms, launched on 23 July 2011. The official website was built in phases, delivered by Dog Digital and Blonde. Mascot ''Clyde, a thistle named after the river which flows through the centre of Glasgow, will be the official mascot of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The mascot was designed by Beth Gilmour, who won a competition run by Glasgow 2014 for children to design the Mascot. Beth's drawing was then brought to life by digital agency NERV who turned it into a commercial character, created a full backstory and gave it a name – Clyde and created his own website. Clyde was finally revealed in a seven-minute animated film created by Nerv at a ceremony at BBC Scotland's headquarters in Glasgow. The organiser, Glasgow 2014, said the mascot's design was chosen, because of its "Scottish symbolism and Glaswegian charm and likeability". See also * Glasgow bid for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics References External links * * Glasgow 2014 Candidate City File * Commonwealth Games 2014 News * CWG 2014 Schedule * 2014 Commonwealth Games Evaluation Report * Commonwealth Games information – Clyde Waterfront * SECC National Arena – Clyde Waterfront project details * Commonwealth Games Medals Table 2014 * Clyde Mascot Website * Commonwealth Games 2014 Medal Tally Category:Commonwealth Games Category:2014 Commonwealth Games